24 monterey recipes

Chicken and chili stew with browned drumsticks, white beans, cherry tomatoes, and chili powder, finished with fresh cilantro. A make-ahead one-pot stew loaded with garnish options.

Homemade vegetable hummus stuffed into whole wheat pita pockets with Monterey Jack cheese, fresh tomato slices, and alfalfa sprouts. A quick vegetarian sandwich ready in 25 minutes using the microwave.

Build-your-own summer salad with fresh veggies, marinated artichokes, avocado, sprouts, shrimp, bacon bits, and cheese. A flexible no-cook recipe you can customize with whatever is in season.

Low calorie seven layer salad with crisp lettuce, sweet peas, reduced-fat cheddar, turkey bacon, scallions, water chestnuts, and hard-boiled egg. Vinaigrette on the side keeps it light. A potluck classic, slimmed down without losing the layers.

Cajun black bean soup simmers dried beans with smoky ham hock, paprika, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin into a thick, half-puréed pot. Serve with Monterey Jack, sour cream, chives, or chopped egg.

Applesauce jello salad -- A delicious jello salad, taken from The Monterey Coast Guard Officers' Wives Club Cookbook. My sister-in-law was the president of the club which put that cookbook together.

If you love black beans then you have to try this simple recipe that will satisfy your tastebuds.

Jalapeno pinto beans simmered from dried with onion, garlic, cumin, and bay leaf. Spicy, earthy, and versatile enough to serve as a side or mash into bean enchiladas.